level.
And now she was killing him.
Nothing else could explain the sensation of his body being shattered into a thousand pieces as a light as fierce as the midday sun burst in the center of his being, transforming him even as it catapulted him toward the eternal sleep.
Magic.
A sweet, drugging magic that allowed him to smile with delight as a tidal wave of darkness crashed over him.
Sally watched in astonishment as Roke dropped to the floor with enough force to make his head bounce against the cement.
“Crap on toast, what have I done?” She fell to her knees at his side, her hand reaching to lightly touch his face.
It had been sheer panic that had released her secret magic. Certainly she hadn’t deliberately tried to enchant this vampire, not when she was convinced that he was too strong to be swayed by her meager powers.
That was why she was so angry that he’d replaced the fairy. She’d had high hopes of swaying Lysander into setting her free.
But the fear of being trapped here while Gaius, and whatever strange creature was controlling him, came hunting for her, had tipped her over some mysterious edge.
She wouldn’t become a helpless victim.
Not again.
Now, she was not only trapped in a cell, but Roke was going to be furious when he came around.
And worse, she’d revealed that she was more than just a human witch.
Dammit.
Her karma was clearly in need of a good cleansing.
Almost on cue, Roke’s thick fringe of lashes lifted to reveal the astonishing eyes that were even more pale than usual, the black rim a startling contrast.
“What the . . .” His angry words cut off as he caught sight of Sally bending over him, his expression melting from confused fury to blind adoration. “Sally?”
Oh lord.
Was it possible?
Had she actually managed to enchant the mighty vampire?
The thought she had succeeded was almost as terrifying as having failed.
“How do you feel?” she cautiously inquired.
“Good.” A slow smile curved his lips. “No.”
She tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. Even consumed by fear, she was nearly blinded by his stark male beauty. The lean, bronzed face with the high cheekbones and chiseled lips. The wide brow and proud nose. The dark hair that held the sheen of silk in the overhead light.
He looked too perfect to be real.
At last realizing that she was gawking at him like an idiot, she forced herself to clear her throat. “No, you don’t feel good?” she managed to rasp.
“I feel captivated.” Without warning his hands lifted to frame her face, his eyes darkening with an unmistakable hunger. “Come here, my little witch.”
Before she could react, Sally found herself being tugged downward. Instinctively her lips parted to protest, but the words were lost as Roke claimed her mouth in a kiss of unrelenting possession.
Holy shit.
As their lips met, her heart came to a shuddering halt. It was like being hit with lightning, she fuzzily acknowledged, forgetting to breathe as the shocking pleasure sizzled through her.
His tongue traced the line of her lower lip, his fingers plunging into her hair as he angled her head to the side.
“Roke,” she muttered, shivering as his mouth shifted to allow his fangs to scrape along the slender curve of her neck.
“I’ve wanted to taste you from the moment I caught sight of you,” he growled, his lips tormenting the pulse at the base of her neck, which was racing out of control. “This skin . . . as fine as ivory. And your scent of peaches.” His fingers tightened in her hair. “It’s driving me mad.”
They were both mad, Sally accepted as she sighed in approval. Or maybe the spell she’d woven around him had somehow caught her in its web.
In this moment, she didn’t care. She was completely lost in the blissful sensations. How had she ever called this man cold-blooded? His touch was igniting sparks of heat that threatened to consume her.
It was only the press of his fangs against her flesh that jerked her back to her senses.
“Oh . . . my god . . . no. Wait,” she hissed, pressing her hands against his chest. “No biting.”
“Why not?” he asked softly, his tongue running a path up her throat. “I hunger to taste you.”
Tantalizing pleasure swept through her. “Mmm, yes . . . I mean no.” With a sharp push, she was breaking free of his hypnotizing touch, sitting back on her heels as she pressed a hand to her throat. “I . . .”
“You?”
“I need my strength,”